November has already come to a close, but I think winter has forgotten about us here in the Philippines… It’s weird to think of people back home bundled up in their sweaters as I sit here in front of a fan seeking relief from the heat that persists all year round here. Oh I miss the snow and cold! :)
As many of you may already know, this past week I took an outreach trip up into the mountains a few hours away. What a wonderful experience, and in many ways if felt like I was stepping into my favorite missionary book! We (myself and four other girls) left Monday morning and took a 1 ½ hour bus ride to outside the city, where we caught a jeepney that took us another hour out to other town where we met Mary-Jane (a midwife for a large area in the mountains). We then took two motorbikes up to the little village where Mary-Jane and her husband Juene live…It was my first glimpse of the country-side and wow was I in a different world! It was pouring rain as we spend along on the motorbikes through groves of banana trees, rice fields, passing water buffalos, chickens and random pigs. When we got to their little village, it really was a true village you would picture in your head with small tribal huts/shacks. We ate lunch there and headed out again on the motorbikes to her health center that was around another 1-2 hours up in the mountains where we spent two nights. Thankfully our two motorist where excellent drivers, as the paths through the mountains would get sometimes crazy! The scenery was beautiful with valleys and moutains of palm trees, and we traveled through many tiny villages along the way. I don’t think we got through too many villages without hearing people yell “gwapa (beautiful) Americans” or “hi Joe!”:) That night we slept at the health center. It was amazing being in a world where people still cook on fires, pump their water, sleep under mosquito nets on mats on the floor, take bucket showers, and eat rice every meal (that's their diet in the city as well)! The next day we headed out again to another village where we set up in the village center to do prenatals and general physical exams (one of the students is a nurse). It didn’t take long for nearly the whole village to gather around. We started off with a nutrition teaching that Mary-Jane interpreted. We than began to do the check ups, and after all the prenatals were done I began taking peoples blood-pressure (they love getting their BP taken!) I think by the time the day was over I had taken the entire village’s blood pressure- haha! They were so great though and kept feeding us all day with different fruits, rice and fish! I had brought some bubbles for the kids and it was so funny to watch them go wild trying to catch them! When it was time to leave, we had nearly the whole village waving us goodbye! What an experience! The next day we packed up early and traveled back down to Mary Jane’s house. We then picked up three kids and with the eleven of us (six on the motorbike I was on and five on the other one) took another two-hour trip to a beautiful waterfall where we relaxed for the day! It was amazing- nonetheless we where pretty sore after our 2 hour trip back. The next day (Thursday) we stayed at the house and a number of pregnant women came for prenatals as well as other people for general check-ups. We left Friday morning to come back to the city, but had to stop first in the town to pay a courtesy call at the mayor’s office. The chief police also wanted us to come to the station, which we where actually suppose go when we first arrived. The just wanted our identification I guess for our protection
So that was my little trip away from the city! I was so thankful that we were able to enjoy some rest and fresh-mountain air! God is good…and I only pray that we were able to be at least somewhat of a help and encouragement there!
I’ll try to post some pictures ASAP… Things are a little crazy now! I’m very behind in my studies, and would greatly appreciate your prayers for strength and diligence to finish everything on time! And that I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and stressed in the meantime!
Must be off… Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers!!
Sarah
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5 comments:
Dag Sarah;
Wat een reeks fijne ervaringen heb je die week gehad!Het is inderdaad een heel andere wereld,ik heb het niet gezien zoals jij maar uit foto's en boeken kan men zich een voorstelling maken van het leven daar.goed dat je dat mag meemaken.
je lessen en je studie's die haal je wel in,daar ben ik zeker van je bent toch onze slimme Sarah he!!
meisje geniet van al wat je meemaakt en ik weet zeker dat God je heel erg zegent!Lieve groeten van Lisette en Wim en natuurlijk de Peter
Hi Sarah - Sounds like a fabulous experience. You are right- it is pretty cold here already and we have had snow - there are lots of Christmas lights this year! Take care my friend! We think of you often. Harriett
I’m glad your trip was a good experience and you were able to enjoy it! Your right, there are so many people who live in almost medieval conditions and it hard for us to imaging when we’re used to being treated so well. It is almost too much for our imagination to step back and forth between realities!
Sarah -I enjoyed reading your update ! :)
Hi Sarah:
It's wonderful to hear your experiences. Thank you for taking the time to share with those who care about you. This is your old viola stand partner! Glad you are having the time of your life, learning in many ways. All will be well and you will catch up on the things that seem to have fallen behind.
Much love to you from c-o-l-d Canada!
Patricia
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